Here are nine facts about the United States coins that are considered to be the most valuable in history. These coins have made history not only due to their beauty and craftsmanship, but also due to their rarity and the stratospheric prices they have achieved.
9 Little-Known Facts About the Most Valuable U.S. Coins Ever!
There are some that are well-known, while others are cloaked in mystery or connected to conditions that are unexpected.
1. There was never an official release of the 1933 Double Eagle automobile.
The United States of America abandoned the gold standard during the Great Depression, which resulted in the issuance of the 1933 Double Eagle, a gold coin having a face value of twenty dollars.
However, the currency was never officially distributed to the general public. All gold coins were ordered to be recalled by the government, but some of them managed to get away.
During the year 2002, one of the coins was sold for a price of $18.9 million, which established a new world record for the selling of a coin at that time.
2. The Liberty Head Nickel, which was struck in 1913, was a covert production.
- The Liberty Head Nickel from 1913 is a coin that is considered to be among the rarest and most intriguing in the history of the United States.
- In the whole history of the Mint, only five were ever produced, and each one was struck in secret by an employee without authorization. Over the course of several decades, the coins were concealed after being sold to private collectors.
- Value: In 2018, the most well-known of the five was sold for more over three million dollars.
3. It is possible that the Flowing Hair Silver Dollar, which was minted in 1794,
- One of the first coins ever created by the United States Mint was the Flowing Hair Silver Dollar, which was minted in 1794, according to the interpretations of certain scholars.
- The first official United States coinage was issued at this time. Robert Scot, a well-known engraver, was the one who came up with the design for the coin.
- This coin, which is considered to be among the finest examples, was sold for an astounding ten million dollars in the year 2013.
4. The United States Mint came dangerously close to missing the 1969-S Double Die Lincoln Penny
- It is a well-known fact that the 1969-S Double Die Lincoln Penny is renowned for its “doubled” appearance on the obverse, particularly on the “Liberty” and the date.
- This blunder was not identified until after a significant number of coins had already been distributed to the public, and it took collectors and the Mint a number of years to acknowledge its existence.
- There is a possibility that a well-preserved example may be valued at least $150,000.
5. It was not the year 1804 that the Draped Bust Silver Dollar was minted; rather, it was the 1830s.
- In spite of the fact that it is referred to as the “1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar,” this particular piece was not minted in the year 1804.
- Not long after that, in the 1830s, it was struck as a part of a special offering that was intended for diplomatic purposes.
- In order to manufacture the coins, the United States Mint used 1804 different designs for foreign dignitaries.
- 1999 saw the sale of a single specimen that brought in a total of $4.1 million.
6. Due to a minor minting error, the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle from 1927-D is extremely rare.
- The 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is widely considered to be among the most precious gold coins in the history of the United States.
- There were just a few that were made, and the 1927-D variation is extremely rare. This is due to the fact that the Mint unintentionally overproduced some other gold coins while they were supposed to be producing the 1927-D.
- Examples that have been well conserved can sell more than one million dollars.
7. The Copper Penny from 1943 is a well-known example of an error coin.
- A few copper pennies were accidentally made in 1943, despite the fact that the majority of pennies were struck in steel in 1943 in order to conserve copper for the war effort.
- These so-called “1943 Copper Pennies” are extremely uncommon and hence quite valuable. Currently, just a small number of them are believed to exist.
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- The value of one of these pennies was $1.7 million when it was sold in the year 2010.
8. The Standing Liberty Quarter, which was created in 1916, was initially intended to expose an excessive amount of skin.
- As a matter of fact, the figure of Liberty in the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter was initially planned to expose an excessive amount of her breast, which resulted in a scandal.
- After a short period of time, the design was modified, and succeeding issues included apparel that was more modest.
- There is a possibility that the original 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter, if it is in good shape, could be worth up to $100,000.
9. A variation with an additional leaf is seen on the Wisconsin State Quarter from 2004.
- It is a well-known fact that in 2004, a number of Wisconsin State Quarters were struck with an additional leaf on the corn stalk.
- This resulted in two distinct variations of the coin: one with three leaves, and another with an additional fourth leaf.
- This seemingly insignificant mistake has resulted in the “extra leaf” quarters being a very collectible item.
- The value of these can range anywhere from several hundred dollars to more than one thousand dollars, depending on the condition of the coin and its rarity.
